


The Titan's Son

by HonestVal



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dark Harry, Infinity Stones, M/M, Reincarnation, reincarnated!Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-08-20 23:47:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20236375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HonestVal/pseuds/HonestVal
Summary: The Deathly Hallows left a mark on Harry that he didn't notice, at least not until he died.In another world, Harry is reborn, the only things left of his former life are glimpses of past memories and an unexplainable power that will draw attention from far and wide. Taken under Thanos' wing, Harry is molded and shaped into a weapon and now he faces his greatest challenge yet. Will he continue to serve his father, or betray him for a much more tempting offer?





	1. The Fall of Titan

His sister had starved to death.

Her fate had been a long time in the making, she'd been born a sickly girl with barely enough sustenance from her mother's womb to allow her to grow. When she was born, she could just about fit into his hand and one of her legs was mangled and crippled during birth. She would never be able to walk properly, this was only the first in a list of many things that would lead to her demise.

Thanos himself was lucky, he'd been born before the rainy season ended, the land started to dry up and the crops died. His father had still been alive and fit enough to the work the land, he brought home food enough for their family of three and he'd grown into a healthy young man. He'd wasted away since, but nothing could reverse the effects of a healthy childhood. He may be lacking in body mass and he was ever tired and weary without the energy to sustain himself, but his limbs all worked fine and his bones remained strong, with his father dead he was the only one in the house left who could go out and work, not that his reward was plentiful in any way.

His sister wasn’t the only child who died though, the lack of rain brought on the famine and the disease. The young and the elderly were the first to succumb to the illness but it didn’t take long before even the strong were bedridden. Somehow, Thanos survived it all, even as he spent days in the company of his sick mother feeding her soup (boiled water with a smattering of vegetables) and regularly changing the cold flannel on her head that tried and failed to keep down the fever. He’d thought for certain that he’d fall foul of the same illness. But no, here he was with his family dead and the rest of his people dying.

_What is better? _He asked himself. _Should I mourn the dead or join them? _

There was little left on Titan, the once thriving market at the centre of the town had dwindled to nothing, now it was mostly beggars crying for relief or what was left of the rich trying to sell their wares for extortionate prices. What was once a mans life savings could now buy a few rotting apples, if you were lucky.

Nobody came for them, not even the Xandarians who claimed to promote peace throughout the galaxy. For Thanos, there was no way off this planet.

At least not until he found the stone.

It was almost innocent, sitting at the bed of a near dry river amongst many other coloured stones that were typical of the terrain. Thanos had trekked far away from the cities and towards the mountains where less people lived and food and water were shared between fewer hungry mouths. He had been pulling up roots from the water to attempt to make stew when he came across the stone, bright and yellow surrounded by a symphony of reds and oranges. Whilst the other stones reflected the light from above, the yellow stone _glowed_ with an immense power of its own.

It was only when he had it in his hand that he felt the true strength, the voice of wisdom and the depth of knowledge as it permeated his mind. It was like the world suddenly became clearer, he could see the truth before him as if it had always been there. _How could I have been so blind?_

He watched as a young girl carrying a crate wandered down to the river and started pulling up roots just as he had been, she was bare foot and unclean, her clothes torn and her hair long and unkempt. Her face bore the scars of one who had faced the fever and survived, it was likely her family had not. _How can we allow the young to suffer when there is salvation?_

The stone showed him his path, a vision of a future where civilisations lived in harmony and no child would starve. His mind, which had been closed for so long, was finally open.

There would be balance, he knew that now. The universe would thrive.

All it needed was a strong leader to guide it.


	2. The Xandarian

The sensation was brand new and yet completely familiar, like something had been buried within him for years and had only now begun to surface. The lights within his pod flickered on and off as his powers faded out and the buzzing within his veins seemed to drift away, he grinned nonetheless and turned to stare out of the window into the large bustling city.

He lived as part of a group home in the center of Xandar, a refuge for orphans borne of the Kree War. Hadren himself had lived here ever since he was a young boy, his mother having been killed by a stray beam during a protest years before. The home had been quiet for a time, him and 15 other children living in the small building comprised of the metal pod bedrooms that surrounded a large communal room where they'd eat, play and learn. 

Now the silence had been ruptured, children poured in as a result of the Kree massacres and he found himself sharing a room with a small girl Venah who was only five years old. He himself was fifteen, verging on the Xandarian age of adulthood, and soon would be sent to work in one industry or another. If he was lucky he'd be able to find himself a job as an Intelligence Officer in the Nova Corps, but that was unlikely. To them, he was just like every other poor orphan. Sad, pitiable. 

He smiled to himself in the darkness, holding out his palm as a ball of glowing blue light floated above his hand and illuminated the room around him. He let it dim slightly so he wouldn't disturb the girl in the bunk below.

In the eerie blue light, his face was revealed. Like most Xandarians his face was distinctly human, his skin pale and tinged with the rosy pink of happiness and youth. His hair was a dark midnight black, verging almost on blue in some lights and his eyes were a bright unnatural green. Along his face were lines and markings in silver, across his right eye was a long scar that resembled in some ways a bolt of lightning. 

A sharp rapping sounded on the door and the light in his hand disappeared with a small fizzing sound as if the light had simply dispersed itself. It was the owner of their orphanage, an old woman name Lohnel who had red skin and hair like rusting copper that when accompanied by her wrinkling skin gave her an odd appearance overall. She was assisted often by her nephew, taking care of this many children had become quite a chore in her old age.

"Breakfast!" she called loudly, Hadren reached down under his bunk and shook the younger girls shoulder until she woke. She yawned and blinked open pale yellow eyes and watched sleepily as he pulled on a jacket and chucked the young girl some clothes before turning the large safety lock on the door, a sound was emitted as the pressure from the room was released and fresh air that wasn't from the ventilation system burst into the room.

They were seated on large rows of metal tables and presented with bowls of brownish slop dotted with bright orange berries, he sneered at the young boy beside him who was shoving spoonfuls into his mouth as if he'd never seen food before.

He picked up his own spoon and at as quietly and delicately as he could, he stared down at his plate and tried not to make eye contact with anyone else. During his time at the home, he'd made it his mission to avoid the others at any cost.

After breakfast they were split into groups of five and given letters, leaflets and map of the city marking off the area that they were supposed to cover within the day. Most of the leaflets were to do with government schemes and the importance of charity, Brivan, Lohnel's nephew, had started printing the leaflet to encourage citizens to donate to the government and the orphanage to help the war effort. Personally, Hadren thought Brivan wanted them gone from the building. The man had never seemed enamoured with his aunts choice of occupation, even less so when he got roped into doing the dirty work.

And so Hadren, along with little Venah, a tall red-skinned boy named Kendon and the twins Zotok and Isa were assigned the 5th sector, this was where most of the markets and shops were along with the military base for the Nova Corps. 

It took a long time to walk the relatively short distance, Venah had little legs and stumbled constantly as the strap kept becoming undone on her shoes. She little girl also insisted on hugging her little stuffed orloni and pointed out every flashy sign as if she hadn't seen it a hundred times. When they reached the centre of the city he was quick to pass his leaflets along to Isa, "Meet me at the market in.." he looked up to the massive floating clock "3 hours?" She took them without much argument but her brother was glaring at him from behind her. 

He quickly found his way out of the rush of shoppers and commuters and down the steps onto one of the walkways that went beneath the city, Xandar was a mess of both open spaces and winding alleyways. It was easy to mistake one place for another and to get lost, luckily Hadren knew the city like the back of his hand. 

It was beneath the city, within the dark tunnels lit by harsh purple lighting where the most interesting characters resided. Law and order in Xandar were strict and the galaxy's 'capital of peace' was always eager to cut down crime rings before they truly blossomed. The tunnels were heavily patrolled by guards and the wares on display always adhered religiously to the codes. Of course, the most important merchandise were the things that you couldn't see.

He nodded politely to an aging man wearing the typical blue uniform of the Nova Corps and slipped past towards a large set of black doors, he place his hand on the metal surface and the door glowed blue before sliding open to show what appeared simply to be a food store stocked with rare spices and odd ingredients that came from various other planets. He picked up a few packets of sweets for Venah and the others so that they wouldn't tell Brivan that he slipped off. 

He transferred the man at the till 2 units for the sweets, "I don't suppose you know where to find Renn?"

The man stared at him wide-eyed and hissed out, "Don't say his name hear". His eyes scanned the shop where a few young men and women appeared to be picking out various ingredients and planning meals. He gestured for Hadren to follow him through another door into the back of the shop where there were many metal crates and jars of unknown and probably unsavoury items.

"I had a shipment from Renn's men just last week. He hasn't visited the shop himself in months". He gestured towards a crate in dark blue metal and chucked him the key, he pressed the magnet into the corner of the box and waited for the beep to show it had opened before he flipped the lid off and looked inside.

Renn was known throughout the galaxy for his dealings with the unknown, he'd traveled to realms such as Asgard and dealt with the mystic and the magical, the weapons he returned with were the strongest, the drugs the most potent. Hadren had visited shops such as this for years, ever since he'd learned of Renn's name, in the search of some trace of the truly magical.

Somebody like _him._

In his dreams, he walked amongst fellow magicals who called themselves wizards, on a planet where the fields were covered in green and they had buildings made of stone and not metal. He'd never met anybody else with magic, some had come close then he'd discovered it to simply be elaborate tricks or feats of technology. Nobody else was born like him, with the power of the elements rushing through their veins, nobody else could manipulate life and death like him. Hadren was a sorcerer, just like Harry Potter had been.

Within the box there were many weapons and smaller woven boxes that held treasures from other planets. He opened one to reveal a piece of fine jewelry on a dark metal chain, another held various ground powders and a set of instructions written in various glyphs that he couldn't even begin to understand. He found a dagger and pulled it from the box, it in his hand and testing the weight in his palm. As a wizard, Harry hadn't wielded a blade, he'd held a wand made of wood with a core harvested from one of the purest magical beings in existence. Nothing could compare to that. He molded himself a sheath using his magic and one of the empty woven boxes, then hid the dagger beneath his jacket anyway.

He turned to see the man watching him eagerly, "The dagger is 10,000 units". Hadren could see the freed flashing in the man's eye and he fought back the growl that threatened to emerge from his throat. _Poor orphans _like himself didn't stumble miraculously upon 10,000 units.

"He won't be paying", another voice said softly from the back of the room. Harry looked up into menacing black eyes and tensed, his hand went to the dagger and his veins buzzed with the force of his untamed magic that threatened to burst.

The man was tall, exceedingly so, and wrapped in an unnatural layer of muscle covered in armor of gold, his skin was a dark purple color and his eyes dark and soulless. This was no Xandarian, but it was no Kree either.

"Thanos", the shopkeeper whispered in horrified awe, putting a name to the face before him. 

"I came to see if got what I asked for, apparently you were..occupied". The man's eyes fell upon him, "What is your name child?" His voice was gentle and considering in a way that made Hadren shiver. _Never trust men that are kind, they always expect the most_. It was the voice of his mother, not the red-haired woman who he could put no name nor face to, but the poor Xandarian seamstress who had learned the hard way not the trust strangers, it was a message that she'd drilled into her sons head even in the little time that they'd had together.

"Hadren", he replied honestly. His voice held no inflection.

"No family name?" the man asked again with an odd look on his face.

"Not that I've ever known". _Potter_. The name flashed through his mind like a fleeting vision, a memory of another planet and a family he'd barely known.

"Leave us", he commanded of the shop keeper. He looked briefly like he was going to object but came to the realisation that he valued his life much more and scurried off to man the till once more.

"Children shouldn't wield weapons".

"Then I am no child".

"You are still innocent though, you hold your blade like a man who has never slain another".

"Perhaps I've never had the chance".

The man raised a non-existent eyebrow, "Perhaps you never had the strength". Hadren tensed slightly. "It is no matter now, children grow to become men and men learn the ways of the world".

"The world was carved from blood", he replied tersely, the words slipping from his mouth before he even had the chance to think them. He was almost certain they weren't his own and that thought struck more fear in him than he'd ever felt before.

"So you do know", the man nodded with a kind smile on his face. "Sometimes spilled blood is necessary. This universe was carved from blood and war, look how it thrives! Or at least it did..."

"I have to go. It was very nice meeting you Mr..."

The man grinned down at him, "I have no family name." He leaned down until he was on one knee and they were finally at eye level, "How would you like a job?"

It was at that moment he saw it, shining and yellow from its place slotted into the shoulder in the mans armour. Displayed like a prize for all to see. Waves of energy seemed to wash off it like a slow ebbing tied, it called to him, to the very depth of his bones. _Magic_.

And he knew, even if he could never trust the man, he'd go with him just to feel that power once again. It felt like home.

Thanos approached the box behind him and reached inside to remove a large sceptre made out a silvery foreign metal, the man assessed it quietly. "There are very few objects that can truly harness the power of the stones", he reached over onto his armour and pulled the stone from its casing, rolling his shoulders as if it strained him and placed it inside the blue casing on the sceptre, quickly it began to glow. "Dwarves do make they best weapons, I knew Renn wouldn't disappoint me".

He stood and walked towards the door once again, "Come child, let me introduce you to your siblings".


	3. Sanctuary I

It took 3 hours for them to reach Thanos' domain, an unknown alien creature piloted the spacecraft and his new captor spent the whole journey staring out of the window at the wider galaxy in silent contemplation. Hadren was too busy trying to figure out if he'd made the greatest mistake in his life. 

The ship, aptly name Sanctuary, was massive. Situated in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by an asteroid belt, the nearest inhabitable space was taken by the Chitauri, a savage species of aliens know for their sub-par intelligence. In other words, the perfect tool for a mindless slaughter.

They docked their spacecraft in one of the lower levels and he was led through the cavernous hallways into a large open space where two women were fast at work, both wielded long swords and were attacking each other with vigour. The blue skinned woman had a look of intense anger and displeasure, the green womman seemed blank by comparison. 

"These are your sisters". The green woman turned sharply at the sound of a voice and the blue one grinned sharply as she managed to cut a shallow wound into the others cheek. "Nebula, Gamora", he summoned them. Gamora wiped away the blood from her cheek quickly before they both strode over and bowed their heads.

"Welcome back father". The two women weren't alike in anyway, likely taken just as he had been. Gamora's complexion, along with the markings on her skin, made it clear that she was a Zenohberei, a race known mostly for their shocking poverty and the massacres that had culled half their people not many years before. The other woman, Nebula, was hard to distinguish, many of her feautures seemed to be made of machinery yet he doubted she was a full android.

"This is Hadren of Xandar".

Nebula looked down on him, "He's young and Xandarians are known to be weak".

"You were both young and weak when I found you, daughter, but I quickly found a way to absolve you of your weakness".

The woman bowed her head, her face pained, "Of course father".

Gamora was distracted, her eyes focused on the scepter within her captors hand, "You found it?"

The titan nodded, "It is no gauntlet but it will do until I get my own hands on a dwarf who can mold me one. How has your mission progressed?"

"I found no trace, the only information the commoners had was from myth and legend".

"Follow every lead, myths are based in truth after all". He turned to the other daughter, "And you Nebula?" 

"Ronan grows more displeased by the day, he doesn't think our support is enough".

"I sent him 1000 Chitauri, its enough for a worthless rebellion such as his. What more could he want?"

Nebula didn't answer, believing the question to be rhetorical and not wishing to interrupt her fathers thinking. "Take Hadren to Midnight, I'll deal with Ronan myself." The tall man left the three of them in the room alone together, Nebula instantly turned to him with malicious eyes.

"It isn't often that father takes in Xandarians such as yourself, he's more likely to kill them where they stand. What makes you so special?" 

"Nothing", Gamora answered succinctly. "Just like there was nothing special about either of us before he brought us here".

Nebula looked like she strongly wanted to disagree but settled instead for a glare and turned sharply on her heal to walk away, Hadren took the hint and followed behind her at a sedate pace so that he wouldn't get in her way.

Proxima Midnight was as dark and shadowy as her name, dressed head to toe in sleek form fitting black. Her body, whilst humanoid in stature, was entirely too gaunt in places for her to be truly human. Her features would've spoke of malnourishment on any other being, but on her the sharp edges were just as sharp as her blade and only enhanced her deadly aura. Her skin was pale and tinged with grey, her eyes a glowing colour of honey. Her lips were a dark blue and he wasn't sure whether it was painted or natural, the line of blue carried on down her chin like smeared blood.

"This is Hadren of Xandar", Gamora introduced stiffly.

"Well he's not of Xandar anymore", her voice was deep and smooth, it matched her look effortlessly.

The womand scanned her glowing eyes over him, zeroing in on the dagger hidden beneath his jacket. "You fight with blades?"

"I don't fight".

"You do now". She led him over the a large wall covered in many weapons. Swords and daggers, staffs and spears, there were blasters like the ones the Nova Corps kept stashed on their belts along with a few flat machines designed to send out pulses that would detain the target, he seen a few of these in action on the streets.

The woman passed him a shorter, lighter sword and removed his dagger from him quicklt before he'd even realised she'd moved. "We'll start you on this until you're taller and more experienced. Do you have any experience in hand to hand combat?"

The most he'd ever seen was fights between the older children that had been split up quickly by Brivan, the few criminals they had on their streets were cowardly and liked to fight from far away with multiple blasters in hand so there was no chance of them getting hit or running out of ammunition. 

"Little to none". He could hear Nebula scoff in the background.

"It's never to late to begin".

It was months later when Thanos came to observe his training sessions for the first time, he'd seen very little of the man, only when he had called 'meetings' do discuss their agreements with Ronan or talk to his other children about their individual mission that Hadren himself knew very little about. He was almost like a silent figure within their counsel, very few addressed him directly and only in the context of his training, he spent most of his time sparing, reading one of the books in the vast library or staring out of the window of his room into the dark abyss that was Thanos' corner of the galaxy.

He was facing Proxima, a sword in his hand and a dagger on his belt as they both stood still waiting for the other to make their first move. Growing impatient, the woman attacked, sprinting towards him with her spear in hand. She swept it low on the ground to try and catch his feet, he flipped backwards and moved quickly around to her side to hit her in the small of her back with the butt of his sword, causing her to lurch forward slightly before she regained her balance and turned to slice the spear across his hand, cutting clean through the cloth of his shirt and causing deep red blood to drip down his arm. Their weapons slashed at eachother, constantly slashing and coming together with the clash and scrapes of metal the rang throughout the cavernous room as Thanos watched on calmly from his throne above them. 

He dropped his sword, dagger still fastened tightly, and flung himself at her with his hands outstretched, when he hit her she collapsed with a heavy sound on the ground as his hands fastened around her throat. She was breathing heavily, her teeth gritted in pain and frustration. She grabbed his hands and wrenched them off her, flipping them over until she was on top with his own dagger at his throat. "And I thought I trained you well", she sneered, "but then again, there is little even the most skilled warriors can do to help hopeless causes".

He growled, veins buzzing as adrenaline pumped through his blood. With a shout she flew away in burst of light as glowing green eyes flickered in anger. Thanos leaned forward in his chair, shocked but not willing to show it. 

Hadren stood slowly as the wounds on his arms began to heal miraculously, the flesh knitting itself together quickly and seamlessly. Proxima stood slowly from where she'd hit the wall with a crash, brushing the rubble away from her. Her eyes were narrowed and her upper lip curled as she snarled in inhuman fury as if something primal had come over her. She ran, faster than he'd ever seen someone move before, her nails were like claws and whatever mercy she had left had disappeared in a flash.

He stepped back, for a moment fearing his own demise, only for the women to stop abruptly as she hit a glowing golden barrier that appeared from nowhere. She hissed in pain and pulled her arm away, the flesh was charred in some places and red raw in others where the skin had burned and melted away.

"Take her to the infirmary", the titan ordered his other two daughters who exhchanged looks before helping the disgruntled woman to stand. Once she'd found her footing she quickly shook the two off and walked herself to the infirmary whilst the other walked a safe distance away from her. "You will continue your lessons with Maw from now on."

"Of course father", he bowed lowly and returned his blade to the shelves of many others as his magic began to slowly fizzle out. He grinned in triumph as he walked away.

With Maw, training was different. Their first few months was spent learning about the mind, how to calm yourself and to focus on your senses, how to control and focus your power. When your mind was focused it suddenly became easier to slip in and out of anothers thoughts without them noticing, to read their deepest desire and plant your own within the recesses of their subconscious so that they would come to decisions and realisations as if they were there own. 

Hadren learned that the limits of his power far outstretched Maw's own, he could channel the energy around him into his veins and turn into something much more dangerous and explosive. He didn't lose a fight again, not when he had a mystical advantage over his opponents who could be disarmed with barely a notion of thought. His physical training was maintained and he learned how to weild a dagger as if it was part of his hand and his shooting skills, whilst it could not compare to Gamora, were nothing to be ashamed about.

Hadren was an anomoly, unknown to the wider world and the perfect secret weapon, Gamora and Nebula were known throughout the galaxy, along with the Black Order, for their exploits. They were assasins and warriors, children of Thanos who were feared wherever they went. Hadren, whilst handsome to some degree was average stature with few distinguishing features that allowed him to sleep beneath the radar and weave his magic behind the scenes.

Despite Gamoras perfect reputation and immense skill as an assasin and Nebulas ferocity that he suspected was sparked by some inferiority complex, they were replaced within the eyes of their father. Thanos was shocked with how far the little orphan he'd stolen from Xandar had progressed, to become a master thief and manipulator, a sorcerer unlike any he'd other seen.

He didn't hesitate to send his two daughters to assist the 'conqueror' in his stead, with them gone he turned his attention to his youngest son and the task at hand.

"What do you know of the infinity stones?"

He was sat on his 'throne', Hadren stood before him in long red robes similar to what he remembered wizards wore in his previous life, the material was thick and he'd spent hours weaving it himself with thread and magic so that runes ran along the inside to offer minor protection to his body.

"That you possess one?" His eyes focused on the staff that seemed dwarfed in the hands of the giant, its etheral yellow glow was ever present, he'd watched that sceptre for years and there was never once the hint of that eternal light fading.

"There are six in total, created when the universe was born and scattered throughout its galaxies. It only takes one to raze a planet to the ground, legend says that by possessing all six you have the power to control the universe and everything within it, the strings of fate would be in your hands. Gods and rulers alike deemed them too powerful to be in the hands of mere mortals so they hid them and set up elaborate traps and defences to stop any stone seeker in their tracks", the titan smiled. "I found this one in a river of a dying planet".

"Where are the others?" He asked curiously.

"I tasked your sisters with searching for them, Maw discovered from years of studying the mind stone that they give off waves of energy. We traced one of them back to a mostly uninhabited galaxy, on a planet called Earth." Hadren stiffened imperceptibly at the familiar name from the Titans lips, "Another managed to isolate the signature to one of ten planets in the Andromeda galaxy that I have tasked Ronan to scour. You, my son, will have another job".

The Titan stood from his chair and approached him slowly, his metal boots thunking loudly on the stone steps. He held out the sceptre before him, presenting it to Hadren as one would a gift, "You will take the sceptre to Earth and use it to locate the stone hidden there. All of my resources, along with the Chitauri, are at your disposal."

Hadren wrapped his hand around the cool metal of the sceptre, shaking at the feeling of warmth and power that rushed through him. "I can't take this".

"You will", his father urged and he finally let the sceptre be transferred fully into his grasp, relishing at the feeling of it. "You won't be going alone". 

His eyes flicked up in confusion, "We have...a guest, a sorcerer much like yourself who has knowledge of Earth and is willing to act as your guide in exchange for a favour that I have granted him". He looked up at the man in confusion. It wasn't like his father to trust a stranger so quickly with such an important task. The look in his eyes though, this was a man who planned meticulously, who knew exactly what he was doing and handled power and knowledge with ease.

When the guest walked into the room he stopped doubting his fathers decision, the figure was something far beyond a sorcerer, more powerful than himself and anyone he could remember in his previous life. We walked confidently, tall and resplendant in emerald green roved highlighted with gold and woven from fine silks and fibres. His hair was deep black and rested on his shoulder in waves, his eyes were the blue-green of the ocean with a mischievous glint hidden underneath.

This was no man, this was a God and his name was Loki.


	4. Gods of Asgard

Anger. The overwhelming emotion that had ruled his life, looking at Odin and knowing that the man had stolen him away from his family, that he had kept him here on this planet and let him dream of one day becoming King of the Nine Realms, knowing all along that any claim to the throne was fraudulent and his blood impure.

Betrayal. That his mother, his sweet mother Frigga who had cherished him and taught him magic and the ways of the world, had taught him not to fear the ridicule that came from the others who taunted him for wanting to become a sorcerer rather than a warrior. She had encouraged him to grow and helped him carve his own path, all the while knowing that the title of mother was not hers to hold, she had never carried him in her and womb and their blood was far from the same.

Acceptance, perhaps, as his fingers slipped away from the bridge and his brother, the fool, screamed his name. He'd loved him once, they had the good natured rivalry that all siblings had, but as Thor had grown strong and confident, Loki had become bitter. They'd drifted apart naturally, and maybe he felt just as much happiness at his brothers distress as he did sadness for his own impending death.

Gods didn't die, at least not from a measly fall. 

He wasn't even sure he was a God anymore, and wasn't that painful?

Another thing that was more painful though was landing on his back on a hard rock in the middle of nowhere after falling thousands of feet for what seemed like days. And surviving. Maybe death didn't seem so bad after all.

Then something had found him, a fleshy monstrosity of a creature with blood dripping from its mouth that spoke in screeches and had claws large enough to unzip his body head to toe in one clean swipe. Was this what true fear felt like? Knowing not only that he would die but it would be long, drawn out and painful. He wondered if he'd ever reach Valhalla, even as a Jotun. He'd never been good, not in the conventional way, maybe he hadn't earned the right to sit blissfully among Gods for eternity.

But there she was, a woman with skin bluer than even his had once been and her body made from more machine than flesh. She'd stared at him, black eyes unblinking, then proceeded to drag his almost lifeless body away from the horrific creature, not caring of the pain he felt as his broken bones scraped against the rocks. It occured to him that maybe she thought he was dead and was taking his corpse away to roast it on an open fire.

He'd woken, hours later, with his wounds bandaged and his arm reset. It had mostly healed thanks to his magic and his resilient Jotun blood. "He's awake father", announced the blue woman as she bowed giving way to a much larger and more fearsome man. 

"Why are you here, Asguardian?" asked the giant of a man in a deep voice that seemed merely curious but held an underlying promise of death.

Loki sat up slowly, adjusting himself to the pain that washed over his body as he slowly started to remove his bandages to reveal almost perfectly healed flesh, "I am no Asguardian".

"So you aren't the Son of Odin?" he mocked. "Don't take me for a fool".

"I am Loki, of Jotunheim", the sentence brought a sickening feeling to his stomach. He felt no pride associating himself with the planet of ice and destruction, not long ago he had lavished in silk robes and held the key to a city of gold. What did he have left now?

"It is not so often that an Asguardian changes their allegiance", he comment lightly.

"Any allegiance I had to them was borne of lies", he turned and moved his legs off the bed ready to stand. "Where am I?"

"This is Sanctuary". _It doesn't look like it, _he commented to himself. _But its not matter as long as I am far away from my past._

The titan was called Thanos, his daughters were introduced as Gamora and Nebula. He was shown around _Sanctuary _almost as if he was valued guest, it left and odd feeling settled in his stomach and he was ready to make a run for it if needs be. One didn't just invite a stranger into their 'home', he certainly didn't think the man was an advocate for charity. He sincerely doubted that and of his magic or manipulations would work on the man before him. 

"You never did answer my question, why are you here?" 

"It wouldn't be wrong to say that I simply fell from the sky", he smiled chamingly and almost froze at the anger in the others eyes.

"You misunderstood my question, what do you want?" It wasn't hard to see in the corner of his eye as the blue-skinned daughter slipped a knife from the holster on her waist.

"You look like a man with ambition", he began.

"I'm a man with too little time who doesn't wish to deal with fake Gods and empty words, what do you want and why did it bring you here?"

He thought hard about what he wanted, he wanted the 9 realms handed to him on a silver platter, to be able to rule and be embraced not ridiculed for his magic. He wanted not to be an outsider, he wished more than anything to be an Asguardian so that all of his troubles would melt away. None of that was meant to be, the rewards were null and void, all that was left was revenge.

_I want my father gone, my brother to know what its like to feel pain, I want to tear apart their world from the foundations and teach them that my magic is more powerful than the lies they built their kindom upon. I want to be a God, by name and not just nature. I want them to know what its like to have everything they believed in destroyed._

He thought of his brother with his wide smile and his warrior stance, his band of puppies who followed him around as they joked and brawled like nothing more than teenage hooligans. He didn't _deserve _to be King. _What does my brother love the most? _The human, his beloved Midguard alongside her. What sort of God pandered to the weak and unworthy? 

"What I want", he surmised abruptly, "is to see Earth burn". _And Jane Foster with it, perhaps then my dear brother will learn some semblance of what its like to lose._

The titan smiled, a fearsome sight, "Then perhaps you will be useful afterall".

He was told of a powerful object, something kept stashed on earth by their government for hundreds of years after it had been hidden by Odin himself. That was all Thanos desired and, if he bought it to him, Midguard was his to do whatever he wished. Their people were his, to enslave, to kill, soon they would look upon him as the God he truly was.

"You will be accompanied by my son and an army of Chitauri. He is my most trusted and I will know if you ever step out of line".

The son's name was Hadren, adopted like many of the Titans other children, and was born of Xandar, the home of the Nova Corps that was known for its proclamations of peace throughout the galaxy. A pity one of its former inhabitants had gone on to become the servant of a monster. The man was of average height with midnight black hair and eyes of piercing emerald green. His face was highlighted with silver in some places, speaking of his alien ancestry, but the most prominent feature of them all beside his eyes was a long angry red scar that stretch from above his eye to just below his cheek bone. It look somewhat like a lightning bolt and he was never overly fond of those. He could see the appeal in a man such as this, who stood confidently with wisdom that floated around him. The thing that drew him the the man the most, however, was the things he couldn't see at all. The power that seemed to permeate the air around him, flexing outwards and entwining with his own.

_Sorcerer. _

It was impossible, Xandar was no magical realm, what little magic they had millions of years ago had died out and been replaced with the technology of the modern era. _And yet a powerless planet has bore a powerful sorcerer who has somehow found his way into my midst._

He began to wonder if falling thousands of feet off a bridge might've been a good idea after all.

It wasn't long until they were left alone with both Thanos' wishes and his threats weighing heavy on both of their minds. The Xandarian watched him carefully from the other side of the room, his hand was wrapped around a gold staff that he seemed to be quite possesive over.

"Where were your parents from?" He asked, his curiosity burning.

"My father was born on Titan", he answered with a vaguely sour look on his face.

"Your real parents". Loki knew quite well now the difference between blood-born and adopted.

"I don't see how that is any of your business", he paused to look at him intently. "My mother was of Xandar".

"Your father?" He pressed, eager and wary at the same time to know if his newfound jewel was of another magical realm. 

"I never knew him and I will never wish to, Thanos has been more of a father to me than he ever was." Somehow he doubted that immensely, but it would never do to question the unstable who were often so set in their non-sensical ways. "Why would you ask me?"

"I could sense your magic", he replied. "It is not a Xandarian trait".

"There are anomolies on every planet".

"Mutations?" he asked in confusion.

"If that is what you wish to call it".

"You are powerful". _So why do you serve somebody else?_

"I've never had much to compare myself to". And yet a God can tell that you are far from weak. "You are familiar with earth?"

"My brother was very_ fond _of Midgard and his little pets that lived there".

"And yet you wish to raze the place to the ground..."

He smirked, "Me and him tend to disagree on many points".

"If what I've heard of him is true then it certainly seems so", he remarked in that soft voice of his that he found quite alluring and he wondered not for the first time if it was intended to be so. He was raised by a warlord to be a manipulator, a weapon and a master of lies, many of those things applied to Loki himself also, he would have to world hard not to be controlled without his knowledge.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Do you?" the man answered in the exact same tone without batting an eyelid.

"I seem to have arrived late to the party".

"You should be grateful then that we saved you any cake at all". The man smiled in humour at him and he couldn't help but feel like he was being belittled. "In answer to your question, I have a plan of sorts. You look like a man who loves to put on a show, you would be the perfect distraction whilst I slipped in and worked them apart from the inside. Alien invasions are terrifying but there's nothing scarier than being betrayed by your own men. The paranoia will eat away at even the most seasoned fighter, and I am a man who knows how to get inside peoples heads".

"It sounds like you know what you're doing", he commented. It would certainly be a shame if he didn't.

"Trust me, I know much more than any single being ever should". A bold statement to make, certainly. _Is it odd that I believe him? _


	5. Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say this is being posted a bit later than I planned because I've spent the last 2 weeks sitting on a beach on holiday reading and admiring the scenery. I'm back now and hopefully it won't be a very long until my next update. I hope you all enjoy :)

"What is it you were expecting to find?" The man, now woman, peered at him curiously.

_Hope? _He wanted to say, but the notion was foolish, cruel even. There was no hope then so why should he wish for it now? Only fools dream for things they know they cannot have. Yet the sensation was still crushing as he looked on the building, dilapidated grey brick, windows smashed in and peeling black paint. There was a for sale sign outside and even that was covered in bird mess and the writing was fading. How could he be blind to what was hidden here, when the magic still thrummed steadily through his veins? 

He could see it now, a girl with frizzy brown hair and a broad smile on her face, she was smart, she was kind and her name... he hissed as a sharp pain filled his mind and his body tensed, he furrowed his brow and massaged the skin on his forehead to ease the stabbing sensation.

"You seem disappointed. I would be too, this place is a shithole". It was unnerving, the smooth tones of the male Asgardian floating from a body that was not his own. He had adopted the form of a scandinavian woman who they'd spotted on the street as they walked past, she had long blond hair fastened in a low tail and piercing blue eyes, dressed in a royal blue pant suit to match. Around her shimmered an air of gold, noticeable only to those who knew magic and sensed what to look for. She sounded like Loki, the low smooth voice that curled around your body like silk, they smelled like a winter forest, the air around them was cold, unyielding and dense with magic. To Hadren, their identity was obvious, but to the common man _she _blended into the crowds of workers seamlessly.

He himself had taken a different approach to disguise, adopting the outfit rather than the face of a man that walked past. It had taken a long time to reach here, they had landed the ship in a large green park in the centre of London, glamours made the hulking piece of machinery blend in as the sky seemingly cloaked itself around it, the light morphing to its shape and hiding it from view. His familiarity with Earth was not as it used to be, he was lucky to remember names of places. _Charring Cross_ the name rumbled by a large man with a wide grin and an odd lilt to his voice. _Tottenham Court Road_ a woman now, the girl with frizzy hair but much older and much more frantic. The second name made him feel uneasy, a churning feeling in his stomach that set him on edge. _Fear, Danger. _Neither of those were emotions he wanted to associate himself with. The first name was calmer, something that sent tingles through his fingers and threatened to pull a smile on his face. It was filled with wonder and childish excitement, _belonging. _He hadn't wished to tempt himself, yet here he was standing outside what once was the entrance to a new world, now it was simply a cage for his lost hope.

"Once I lived in a golden city where the harvest was always plentiful and the people wanted for nothing. Yet that city was built on blood and lies, their king spoke poison to their ears and the paradise they thought they lived rested on weak stilts fit to break with the slightest nudge." He turned to him with a considering look in his eyes, "I suppose my point is that not everything is as it seems".

He wanted to laugh at the irony and the man, or woman, noticed the look on his face and the hard line of his mouth melted in a sly grin. "And considering all that, I still think this place is a shithole".

"You're right", he agreed calmly. "I must've had a lapse in judgement and forgot my sense of direction. Luckily I brought us an aid". He pulled the dark metal device from on the pocket of the soft earth garment that he wore, he tapped it and it flickered on to give off a faintly purple glow and the screen blinked to life. "My father is in an _agreement _with a man of influence within the Kree empire. Hala is overseen by a supercomputer known as the Supreme Intelligence, from the moment of its creation it had gathered information across the universe, it intercepts and analyses signals to harvest information and stores it. As far as we know it is the largest hive of knowledge in the known universe and I have access to all of it".

He passed the device to the Asgardian who studied the screen with a quirked lip, "Should I be worried about how much information this robot has about myself".

"Perhaps, but neither of us are going to be getting on the wrong side of the Kree. At least not until we have what we want and by then they would be powerless against us".

"You sound so certain about that", he said in a voice that could be considered as mocking, pitying even. How did this God see him? A means to an end? A dog to be put down when the work was done? _Prove him wrong._ The voice murmured in his head, filled with anticipatory glee. But the man was right, certainty only leads to disappointment when your plans crumble to dust.

"I have faith in my Father's plans and my own power to enact his wishes", he said in a calm voice like a soldier reciting their orders. It was his duty.

"You call him father, yet you are not the fruit of his loins. There is nothing to bind your fate to his, not even something thin and fickle as blood. Why do you trust a man who would sacrifice you in an instant?" 

_Because I have nothing left to lose. _"He made me the man I am today and I will follow his orders, even if it meant my own life was lost".

There was pity in his eyes once again, and something else too. _He doesn't believe me. And I don't either. _

"There is an organisation on Earth called SHIELD, they are this world first defence against unknown entities and enemies of our nature. They are also the keepers of an object known as the tesseract that has been on Earth ever since your father left it there", he could see the mans snarl at the word father but continued uninterrupted, "If we can infiltrate SHIELD we can get the tesseract and tear apart whatever defence they have".

"And then we bring Midguard to its knees", he concluded maliciously. 

He smiled kindly like an adult indulging a wayward child, "If you wish." He flicked his hand across the screen to open up a new file, "SHIELD is an organisation comprised of intelligence agents, soldiers and assasins alike, they will be ruthless and they won't accept just anyone into their force".

"You need a history".

"Even if its something as simple as a birth certificate, records of education, something to say that I exist. SHIELD is known to adopt employees with less than savoury backgrounds so it doesn't need to be crystal clear, in fact the shadier the better. I need proof that my services are in demand and baring in mind I am in the business of cutting peoples throats one would expect my ledger to be stained".

"There's only so much a computer can do when buildings ones past, you may look perfect on paper but if nobody on the planet knows your name it'll be suspicious." Loki had a glint in his eye, a steady fire that was growing, he knew exactly what was coming next.

"That and SHIELD isn't the sort of organisation where you fill in a resumee and get an interview, they find you. I need to make myself noticeable".

"You need to get your hands dirty", he grinned with a wicked gleam in his eye as the God of Mischief shined truly through the visage of the blonde businesswoman. Anyone who was blind to his true nature before would see danger and steer clear.

"There are only so many cold cases that one can pin their name to before they need to resort to spilling blood".

* * *

The warehouse was seemingly innocent from afar. It had the misfortune of being situated in the middle of nowhere, meaning that few would chance upon it but those that did would be instantly wary. The nearest road was miles away but it was situated in a particularly flat area of the arizona desert so you could see the large metal warehouse but were too far away and driving too fast for your eye to really focus on it. Conspicuously inconspicous one might say. 

As you get closer and the image gets clearer, you begin to notice the cameras, the soldiers patrolling the outside that while not wearing traditional fatigues looked just as important and just as dangerous. Jeeps patrolled the site, each manned by at least two men, one two drive and one to shoot at intruders. There were also the unseen layers of security, the high tech sensors and cameras, the scanners that used a combination of retinal scans, fingerprints and blood as well as other more discreet methods of identification that you didn't realise were being used until it was too late and you were being shot in the head.

This building was one of many labs held by SHIELD, unlike the other headquarters it was located in the middle of nowhere because of the nature of its more _explosive _experiments and the likeliness that they would destroy everything in the surrounding areas. It was better to wipe out a piece of a uninhabited desert and a single car with a lost driver than to mow down Washington. Less questions would be asked anyhow.

One of the things they were working on was a serum, derived from the super soldier serum that had turned Captain America into a formidable warrior. The same thing had been attempted by a scientist named Bruce Banner, a scientist studying Gamma Radiation, not long before. That had gone sour incredibly quickly and had led to mass destruction, hence the Arizona Desert.

Whilst impressive, the security could be easily bypassed with a little bit of magical manipulation and Hadren knew if he could get inside and at least attempt to steal his prize he would get all the attention he desired in a short amount of time.

"I thought you preferred to work in the shadows", Loki commented amused. He had finally returned to his normal form, minus the golden horns that sometimes adorned his head, and he was much relieved.

"Its not like I'm announcing myself to the world, only to the people that matter", he replied as he slipped into the dark black suit that he'd laid out for himself. It was form fitting, not quite skin tight and left enough room to be flexible but there was nothing on him that would catch as he slipped through the building like a panther. He could feel the other mans eyes on him, assessing, mischevious as always as that sly grin spread across his face. He took no care for the fact that he was naked as he began to pull on the suit and zipped it up until it clung snugly to his body. In his business, there was no privacy. You barely existed. There was no reason to care for such menial things as modesty, nothing got in the way of the task.

He slipped the device into one of the hidden pockets in the suit, a knife in his boot and another strapped to his arm. 2 pistols attached at his waist and various other smaller items of otherwordly origins that he'd labelled as 'just for emergencies'. It was unlikely he'd get to use them, he was planning on getting caught anyway.

"Where do we rendez-vous?" 

"Most likely New York, but I'll send you a message nearer the time. Wish me luck", he said with a grin and Loki narrowed his eyes before running them slowly over his body. Suddenly, he dissapeared. His body shimmering out of existance with bursts of gold. When he reappearead he was standing right behind him, mouth close enough to his ear so that whilst he wasn't touching his breath brushed against it in a delightful way. "Good luck", then he was gone once more.

Hadren closed his eyes, took and deep breath and suppressed the urge to hit something. Then he too was gone, rematerialising in the desert amidst a patch of tall grass. He watched the soldiers in the jeep roll past from where he was hidden. _Get yourself caught, not killed _he reminded himself, not that he really needed to. He approached the fence, it was past midnight and his little corner of the facility was the one with the least amount of light shining on it from the massive lamps and spotlights above, it was not ideal but it would do. His body was shielded slightly by a light layer of magic, not as complex as a glamour and more reminiscent of a notice-me-not so that the soldiers eyes would slide right past him if he wasn't standing in the immediate vacinity. 

He climbed to fence quickly and easily, a skill which he'd had since he was of a young age scouring Xandar for food when he wasn't earning money and the orphanage was short on funds. He'd climb up the walls and into peoples houses to raid their stores as well as to escape when the Corps were patrolling the streets. 

It was at the door that he met his first challenge, 2 soldiers whose eyes zeroed in one him as soon as he came within 10 metres. They turned their weapons the him, ready to fire but finding that the triggers were melting beneath their fingers. One raised their fist and the other their useless weapon as if to hit him but he was on them in seconds, a knife in one's throat and the other pinned to the ground with his knee crushing their chest and a solid grip around their throat, crushing their windpipe. A sickening crunch and he was dead. Standing, blood dripping down his hands, he approached the door and with a quick unlocking spell. 

They'd know he was here now, the reaction wouldn't be as immediate as if he'd failed the security check and set off the alarm but any officer who thought to look deeper would know the door had been opened with no permission granted by the system. The next two soldiers came from nowhere and were dead with two quick shots in the head, loud and bloody. He stowed the pistol back on his belt and got the next one with just his strength, launching himself at the man and wrapping himself around his body, they ended up press against the wall, his legs and arms wrapped around the mans throat as he choked the life from out of him. 

It continued like this as he ventured deeper into the bowels of the building, at one point having to cut off a mans finger to use as a security pass when his spell didn't quite work to unlock the door. Behind him he left a trail of blood, his stomach was roiling and his brain felt fuzzy, he was in a haze, killing not from thought but instinct.

As the blood spilled and the bodies dropped he reminded himself, _These men died for a purpose, for a future. _But he could still remember what it was like before,_ I wasn't always a bad man. _Yet life led him here, into the clutches of a mad Titan.

In the lab men and women in white coats were working away diligently, unaware of the chaos outside until a man wearing black with a cloak of blood walked in ready to shoot. Unlike the soldiers they backed off immediately, some had hard eyes filled with anger but they surrendered all the same, others dropped to the floor in fear and some tried to run. He let them. _I'm here now, it'll be done soon. _

It was only when he had the serum in his hands, stowed safe in his belt that he turned to leave.

"Thats not yours", the man said loudly behind him and he couldn't help but grin slightly as he turned around slowly.

Nick Fury, easily recognisable in a black leather trench coat with a black patch over his eye. "You're right, I'm not entirely sure its yours either".

"Well then we're both out of luck, either way its my property you're on and my men you killed".

He heard somebody else behind him, he could feel her there. It would be easy to get his knife in her throat, to end her life quickly, but that wasn't what he wanted. So he waited longer than he would normally, so that when he turned to grab her she had to chance to shoot a tranquiliser into his shoulder.

As he fell to the ground he wondered briefly why she didn't shoot him with a real gun, not tht he would've let it kill him.

_They want to know where you came from, who you work for. _

They'd know, they'd know when the Earth was crumbling beneath their feet and they were begging for mercy from the Titan.


	6. Widowed

“So, there’s a reason you broke into my top secret facility and killed 20 of my men?” It was phrased as if to be a question but the tone of voice said otherwise.

“One would think I didn’t just happen to stumble across it in the middle of the desert”.

”Stranger things have happened”, the man replied as he reached into his pocket from where he was leant on the table to pull out a small vial if a dark green formula. “You know what this is right?“

He scoffed, “Hardly. But I know its dangerous and somebody obviously wanted it bad enough to send me for it”. He sounded slightly arrogant and they would pick up on that, of course. 

“So you were hired”, he concluded as he flicked the vial up in the air and caught it before studying it intensely. “And you took the job knowing that if you were caught you’d be charged with treason”.

”I think that you can tell by my accent that I’m not an American”. _Not really British either, maybe in another life. _

”You broke into a government facility and stole a vial with all the power of a nuclear weapon if it was unleashed, I think thats enough cause for you to get the death sentence. Thats if I don’t let my men get to you first”. He nodded his head in the direction if the mirror on the wall where they both knew multiple men and women would be sitting and observing their conversation.

”I hardly think that’s fair. Don’t I deserve a trial?”

”Life stopped being fair for men like you a long time ago”.

”You would know wouldn’t you director Fury? Sure, you sit here pretending to be god and you build these weapons to _protect the people. _But you wouldn’t hesitate unleash destruction on the masses. I know too many men like you”. _I work for one and I call him my father._

Fury gave him a slightly amused look, “If I’m really that ruthless shouldn’t you be a lot more worried”.Maybe he was a tiny bit, sitting in a small room on a metal chair with his hands clipped to the table by glowing blue magnetic cuffs that wouldn’t let his hands move an inch, knowing that some of Earths most dangerous soldiers were waiting outside to put a bullet in his head.

”I’m worried enough, are you?”

The man studied him before turning to the side. “Hill!”, he spoke loudly and in walked a tall woman with dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. Her outfit was emblazoned with the SHIELD logo and she was holding a folder in her hand. He could see at least one pistol on her person.

”Director Fury”, she nodded to him formally before passing the folder to him. “This is all the information we could find on him”.

He flicked it open and scanned his one good eye down the pages quickly, “So your names Hadrian Black”.

”Or so I’ve been told”.

”Born in the UK, wanted in France for the assassination of a French Diplomat. Assassin for hire...” at this he turned to him like he was summing him up before carrying on. “So, who do you work for?” He asked bluntly.

“The Ten Rings”, he stated just as bluntly and the man blinked at his abrupt answer.

”I find it hard to believe you’d give them up so easy”.

”They haven’t paid me yet”, he let a small smile flicker onto his face before it was gone. “The wanted another weapon, their last attempt to obtain one went slightly awry”. They were also untouchable, nobody would be able to infiltrate them and find out if his words were truth or lies.

"So you work for terrorists?" The man asked with a quirked brow as he waited for him to elaborate further.

"They get good funding so they pay well", he gave a sly smile. "I suspect you would pay much better".

Fury scowled as he handed the file back to Hill who was standing stock still as she watched him with all the emotion of a wooden door, "I don't make contracts with criminals".

He snorted derisively, "If you've managed to convince yourself of that you're a fool".

"This conversation is over, I have to go find 20 new men to replace the ones you shot!" He strode out the room and Hill turned to follow him but just as she put her hand on the door he shouted, "Wait!"

She turned around, a stern look on her face and he didn't miss the way her fingers were twitching slightly towards the gun on her waist. "You can't let them kill me, I can give you information".

She approached slowly, her hand now firmly on her waist in a sign of warning, he calmed his movements but his breathing remained shallow and his chest was heaving. She was confused, watching him with the grace of a predator but the slightly wide eyes of prey caught unawares. "You can tell us about the ten rings?"

"Whatever you need to know".

She scowled, "You know we'll be able to tell if you're lying?" She stared at him but he didn't waver and she seemed to give in. She pulled a small metal cylinder from her pocket and using it she detached his hands from where they were cuffed to the table and attached them together instead, allowing him to stand and walk but not enough range of movement for him to harm her. She tapped her ear, not breaking eye contact with him for a second, "Fury I'm taking the kid". 

He could hear another voice talking quitely from the other end of the communications device but the words weren't clear enough for him to discern. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to stand, "If you make one move to harm me or any of my colleagues you'll be dead". 

And they were off, through the winding glass corridors that looked over across the skyline and the hundreds of men and women typing away at computers with serious expressions on their faces. The next corridor was blanked out completely, boxed in with white walls that felt tiny compared to the sprawling sky that you could see in the room before. "Agent Romanoff?" Hill asked as they entered a room where a man and a woman were busy sparring. She dropped to the floor and with a quick sweep of her leg the man fell and was pinned to the floor with her knee crushing his windpipe. She turned to look at Agent Hill and he got his first look at her.

Dark red hair, slightly curly and not long enough to meet her shoulders. Cold, dark eyes that narrowed in on him. The bindings on his wrists, his body type and his facial features, everything that she could assess, analyse and use against him was logged quickly and effortlessly and her scan was finished before she had even stood to walk towards them. She unwrapped the wraps around her hand and chucked them to the floor as she made her way over to where they stood. "Agent Hill", she said in a deep american accent with subtle hints towards something foreign.

He looked at her carefully before something clicked in his mind, "You shot me".

"With a tranquiliser".

"It still hurt", he muttered lowly. "I'm pretty sure I hit my head on the way down".

Hill narrowed her eyes on him, "He says he has information about the Ten Rings".

Romanoff clenched her jaw slightly, "I thought you said I wasn't on the Stark case anymore".

"The Stark case was closed, this is something else. You worked on the Stark Case so you know more about the Ten Rings than any of our other agents".

Her eyes seemed to focus on him and he could tell she sense some untruth in Agent Hill's words but didn't question them, at least not to her face. "Leave him with me".

"Are you sure thats safe?" Hill asked as she tightened her grip firmly on his arm as if she believed he would attack them as soon as she let go.

"Even if I go down there's no chance he's getting out of this building alive, you have nothing to worry about".

Hill nodded and let go and he itched to move his arm and relieve the tension that had built up within it but knew that would be the worst move at a moment like that. She nodded stiffly, "I need to go convince Fury not to fire me". Then she left, glancing back just before she closed the door to check before she marched off down the corridor.

"She's a treat", he muttered under his breath then suddenly let out a sharp his of pain as an bolt of electricity went through his veins and heard the clang of metal against the floor. It felt like his arms were burning and he went to rub them, stopping as soon as he realised what he'd just done and what that meant. Agent Romanoff was standing holding what looked like a long baton, black but glowing with bright blue electricity near the top that crackled in the air around it. His handcuffs had dropped off and were now lying on the floor broken. "Your supervisor won't like that".

"Its hard to know what my boss likes he's a very complicated man", she gestured for him to take a seat. The man who she was fighting earlier was watching quietly from the other side of the room as he played around with what looked like an arrow. "So you're an assassin?"

"I kill people and I get paid for it so I suppose you could say that", he answered stoically. 

"I was too you know? I worked for the KGB".

He scanned his mind for any information he knew about the organisation but came up blank, it wasn't something he had thought to study before his trip to earth and certainly not something he would've known in his life before. "This is relevant to me how?"

"You're young, you could've done anything yet you decided to work for terrorists. Why?" _I was trapped _he thought. With a dead mother and a bleak future surrounded by a group of fellow orphans and nobodies. _He gave me power, the strength to become something **more. **He treated me like I was his son, somebody destined for greatness. _

"Sometimes life leads you in the wrong direction".

"How old are you?" 50? 60? 70? Not long past 21 in this life but who knew how long he'd lived before. He had enough experiences to account for several lifetimes. "Young right? Too young to get killed for something you don't even believe in". 

For a second he could see what she saw in him. Maybe it was herself, brought into a world of death and fear too young, warped into a person you weren't and forced to commit unspeakable acts. Maybe she felt sympathy, maybe she just saw what everyone else did, a young man with no place to go who could be moulded into the perfect weapon at their disposal. 

"Vienna", he announced. "They plan to attack Vienna". The headquarters of international peace, much like the Nova Corps he remembered from his home. He wondered wether they were as foolish, whether they would refuse to accept the prospect of war until all their children were orphaned and they were already kneeling at the feet of the Kree. For a second she wondered how hard it would be to send a message to a certain God to stage an attack on Vienna before nightfall. It wouldn't do for him to be caught lying and it would certainly be plausible for an organisation who despised peace to attempt to tear it to pieces from its heart.

"The UN?" she asked but it was hardly a question, she'd caught on quickly.

"Where else?"

She turned to make eye contact with the man behind her, a question in her eyes. "You go", the man said. "I'll keep an eye on him". She nodded, a silent goodbye, a promise that she'd return, before rushing out of the room to contact Fury about the news.

"She tried to kill me too you know?" He said with a smile on his face, some odd mix between cheeky boyish charm and the look of a soldier who remembered too much. It was an image he didn't want to dwell to long on. "Then we hired her".

"Is that because you had the sudden urge to get yourself killed?"

"No, it because she was good at her job and she became even better at this one", he grinned again. "They call her the Black Widow".

"Because she's deadly".

"That and she leaves lots of widows in her wake". He waited as if there was supposed to be some reaction before sighing. "I was joking but whatever".

"Do you happen to have a bathroom?"

"I do but I'm not letting you go in there on your own. Do you value your privacy?" He grimaced. "Don't worry I won't look at...certain parts of your anatomy. Unless you're stashing a knife up there, that's gotta be painful".

Ha passed after that comment and retook his seat on the chair. He sat with his hands on his lap, watching as the man grabbed a bow and began fiddling with it as he watched with a hawk like gaze from the other side of the room. He began to sharpen the arrow like one would a knife, he imagine it would be painful to get on the other side of the weapon. His eyes focused on the far window, he began to retreat into his mind, focusing specifically on a memory from a week before in a hotel in Arizona. He closed his eyes and fully immersed himself, his brain went fuzzy and refocused in the worn down room. He couldn't quite feel sensation in his limbs and fingers but he would see and smell and sense that fluctuations in the energy around him. Loki was standing across from him holding the sceptre firmly in his grasp, examining it with an impish gleam in his eyes as they worshipped the sight of pure power before him. He tried to focus in on the golden magic floating around the man before him, familiarising himself with the sensation once more and latching onto it. Suddenly the world began to twist and he found himself in a different room with much more lavish decor and a look out onto the bright city as the man sat with all the grace of a king watching his own empire as he fed himself grapes and relaxed back on the chaise. His half closed, heavy lidded eyes snapped to attention suddenly and he sat up to view the room with narrowed eyes. "I know you're there".

_I see you've given yourself an upgrade._

He could feel his astral body shifting until it became semi corporeal, a silvery vision before the God. In real life his body barely twitched and Agent Barton watched on unaware.

"You have a poor taste in aesthetics".

"I grew up in an orphanage", he replied drily.

"Exactly, so I spent a bit of gold and bought myself an abode worthy of a king".

_"_That's presumptuous".

"I have high expectations".

"Thats disappointing, I came to you with an opportunity but I doubt you could maintain discretion".

The man perked up, his eyes lighting with fire, "Its a bit early for our plans isn't it". He didn't seem remotely concerned and watched with anticipation.

"SHIELD is harder to cooperate with than I've thought, I've spun myself a little web of lies and I need somebody to back me up".

The mans eyes flickered towards the scepter which layed upon a large white table like an altar, a shrine to some unknown power. "You can't use that, they can't link this back to you".

"You want me to pretend to be someone else?"

"Its one of your many skills. There's a building in Vienna, a sort of headquarters where leaders and ambassadors meet to discuss world peace. A certain informant may have told SHIELD that its going to be attacked by terrorists within the next few days. Of course thats not true and I'd hate for our plans to fall apart so soon".

Loki smirked, "There's no doubt that I'll do it. What makes you think that they'll trust you either way?"

"A woman name Natasha Romanoff convinced me".

* * *

It was a scene like he'd never seen before. Fires burned around him, men and women screaming in panic as the world burst into a symphny of orange and saffron.

"You need to get out of here", a tall man wearing an odd type of mask said in some foreign tongue.

There was another explosion from the west side of the building, just like the others this was not cause by some man made folly but the magics and technologies of world beyond. Knowledge that this world was only just beginning to recognise, let alone understand.

"I'm perfectly safe where I am", he replied in the light tones of the young boy he appeared to be. He spoke in allspeak, what he had once believed to be his mother tongue before the lies were unearthed beneath the rubble like the bodies emerging from the smoke before him.

The men went to grab him, both worried for him and fed up of his childish stubborness. He flinched though, when his hand came into contact with, instead of flesh, fine gold dust that floated through the air and disintegrated into nothing. He didn't see the dagger that got him in the back and certainly not the vicious God who wielded it.

His true father was a monster, was it not time he embraced his destiny and became what they believed him to be?

He grinned as through the smoke the helicopters emerged. When the SHIELD agents landed the God would be gone, but not before he'd glimpsed the trail of chaos he'd left behind him.

_This _was what he lived for.


	7. Broken Oaths

"You should be glad you're one of my best agents", Nick Fury commented as they watched on through the glass window of the gallery. Below them a man and a woman were fighting, one with short red hair and the other with pitch black, both of them were holding long wooden bō staffs that they were clashing together as they moved in a rhythm almost like dancing. 

"He was too young", Hill protested in a calm voice.

"You honestly didn't think I was gonna kill him?" He let out a small hoarse laugh. "If I wanted him gone I have a perfectly good cell in the middle of the Atlantic for that".

"He's a good asset", she voiced her thoughts. He didn't need her comment to know that was true.

"But we can't trust him".

The corner of her mouth twitched, "I don't think you've ever trusted anyone in your life Director Fury".

Below the mock battle raged on, Hadren ignored the beads of sweat that were no rolling down his face. They were circling each other now, both losing strength but unwilling to relent. He'd studied Agent Romanoff for hours, her techniques and her preferred points of attack. She liked to avoid direct hits and punching unless she was holding a weapon, preferring to use the muscles in her arms and legs to detain or choke her enemies into submission. She was familiar with all of the weapons in SHIELDS extensive arsenal of weapons and could wield many of them with the precision of a master. Her real skill, however, lay in hand to hand combat. To her everything appeared like a dance, something with elaborate moves and distractions. In this dance she didn't wait for her partner to keep up, she was nimble and completely unpredictable. She swiped the staff in a downward sweep, using the split second where he moved his head to follow through with her arc and jam the end of the staff into his foot. He might've heard a crunch. Then the staff was sweeping up again on the path to hit him somewhere in the region of his throat or his chin. He grabbed it swiftly as it was coming upwards and flipped that end of the pole to the ground, he grabbed the other end of the pole as it flipped upwards until they were both clinging on with their hands, wrestling for control. 

His own staff lay useless on the floor.

With a quick turn the pole was twisted around, as were both their limbs, until he was sandwiched between Romanoff and the pole. A sharp jab of his elbows sent them both falling backwards to the floor. Within a second of him standing she was on him, too fast for him to even comprehend as she seemed to flip and turn as she used her legs to flip him over and slam him into the ground. It was incredible and certainly not a skill she'd learnt at SHIELD.

His head slammed back against the hard floor and his vision blurred slightly, he closed his eyes and urged his magic to swirl around his body and begin the process of healing. It was usually quit draining but took much less time than using normal medicine or waiting for it to heal itself. He sat up slowly and took Natasha's hand to help him stand. 

"Are you good?"

He dusted off his bottoms, "I'm perfectly well thank you".

Agent Barton, the man known as Hawkeye, laughed from his area on the sidelines where he waited for his own turn to spar with Romanoff, "I take it you've never been beaten by a girl before".

Romanoff turned to Barton with narrowed eyes for some reason he couldn't quite pick up on. "A few times”, he said quietly and the two agents exchanged a look. Hadren hurried off to the other side of the room to get some water and quickly chugged down half a bottle.

Back when Thanos had first found him, he’d been experienced. He could barely wield a knife in the heat of the moment. Thanos would look on in pride as Gamora slashed at him with her blades and threw him to the ground, he would try to defend himself using his magic as he weaved elaborate shields and illusions around him. But Gamora was smart, she had the mind of a soldier and could work around almost any barrier you put before her. It was only his magic, this precious and invaluable link that he had to the inner workings of the universe, that kept him from suffering the same fate as Nebula.

He had watched as she was torn limb from limb to be turned into more machine than man. He’d seen her once bright eyes be replaced with cold black metal, every time she left that room she seemed to lose a little bit more of her soul. Nebula had always been one ruled by emotion, now all that was left was anger. 

He looked up to where Fury and Hill were watching them through the glass window and scowled, wiping the sweat from his face one last time he chucked the towel away and left in search of his room.

The shower was hot as it ran down his back in streams. He placed his hand against the wall and just the right amount of shampoo was dispensed into his hand so that he could wash the sweat and grime out of his hair. For some reason it smelt fruity and he humoured himself by imagining some SHIELD representative in a black suit and sunglasses wandering into a Walmart to buy fruity shampoo in bulk.

He emerged from the bathroom, one towel around his waist and the other he was ruffling his hair with in an attempt to dry it. He went to grab some clothes from the wardrobe when his eyes fell on the person lying back on his bed flicking through a magazine that he was certain he didn’t own.

He growled and chucked his hair towel at the God, not surprised at all as it seemed to go right through him with a flurry of gold dust. His eyes flickered to the corner of the room where he knew there was a camera only to see that it was encased in a dark gold barrier. 

“It’ll show them whatever I want to show them”, Loki said with a grin. He lifted up the magazine and shook it around, “Midguardian entertainment isn’t all I expected it to be. Too many whores, not enough bloodshed”.

”Have you tried horror?”

The man scoffed, “They don’t know what it truly means to be terrified”. He smirked, “I did what you asked by the way.”

"I saw the file". And the news, the pictures of flames engulfing the buildings and charred black bodies littering the ground, the result of an uncontrollable explosion or, as he knew better, fiendfyre. 

Loki leaned back expectantly, "And, oh wise one, what do I do next? One gets bored of schemes and whores after a while, when do I get on with the plan?"

Hadren went over to the wardrobe and started to pull on his clothes as he talked, "The last time the Tesseract was seen in was on an aircraft with Steve Rogers. That aircraft crashed into the sea at the end of WW2 and wasn't seen for years. They pulled Captain America out of the ice less than a month ago".

"So its in the building?" He asked with greed shining like jewels in his eyes. 

"Most likely not _this _building. But SHIELD will have it somewhere and if we can tap into its energy signature we don't need need to know where it is. Then you can do", he made a vague gesture ,"your _thing._"

"And you go back to Thanos", the God concluded.

His movements faltered for a second, "_Inevitably"._

Loki snarled, "You have power. More power than he will ever have and you could crush him if you wished. You could take the stones for yourself if you wished".

"So you could take them off me? I'm not that naive. He's my father, I would never betray him". 

"You say that so many times that I'm starting to think its not me you're trying to convince. You could hold the entire universe in the palm of your hand yet you let that man cage you into a life of servitude." The man was far too close for comfort now, his movements slow and tempting. His hands like clouds of dust as they left tingles across his body. Loki wasn't there, yet he felt as if he was more in touch than his body ever could be. "What could he possibly give you that I cannot?"

"You just want my powers", he hissed as he backed away, passing through the others body in a flurry of golden magic that was electrifying in all the right ways. 

"Naturally", the man smirked. "But why should I take it for myself when its keeper is much more delightful".

He couldn't control himself anymore, the way his magic fizzed and reacted through the air. The way his body went from cold to boiling hot in a matter of seconds as something in him tried to reach for the man that wasn't truly there. For a life that he never knew he might want. He wanted to escape from the chains that held him, to choose his own path that hadn't already been chosen for him. Even in his last life fate had kept on iron grip on him and now it was the Titan that controlled his every step like a pawn on a chess board. He could tear the board apart with his very hands, he could leave this world or take it for his own.

"Your so called father is insane".

"And we're not? Do we not kill others for our own gain? Treat others worse than we've been treated ourselves?"

"They tear themselves apart without our interference, this planet is dying. What can we do except help it to live?"

There were two knocks on the door, loud against the silence that had ensued. With barely a seconds thought all traces of the man had vanished from the room and the door opened to reveal Romanoff outside. She didn't comment on his state of undress. "Fury wants to see you".

"About what?" He asked in agitation. 

"You'll find out if you talk to Fury". He snorted at her in derision and pulled on the last item of clothing before slipping out the room, Romanoff followed a few metres behind him. Along the way they passed the research department where the usually clear windows were tinted grey so it was nearly impossible to see inside. Nick Fury was in his office as usual going over a large stack of files with Agent Coulson who seemed both delighted and distressed at the same time as they perused.

"Black!" the man said in a false happy tone. "Just the man I wanted to see. I've got a job for you!" He reached into the stack of files to pull out the one right at the bottom and presented it to him. Hadren flicked it open to see the picture of a building and a few blue prints at the front of the file. It was a small building consisting of a few one bedroom apartments in the inner city, the picture of the front was run down with peeling paint and a rusted mailbox. There was a relatively new car sat outside, a bright apple red against a dull background. "You might've seen in the news that Captain America reemerged from the ice".

It was very hard to miss actually. The pictures that dotted the headlines each day, the interviews from men and women who'd seen Rogers in the street that afternoon and had stopped to gawk at the soldier. There were conspiracy theories popping up everywhere. Where had he really been? Why hadn't he aged? Is he and imposter? Then things started to get dangerous. Before people had attempted to make the serum because they wanted to be powerful, now ordinary people were looking to it for a cure. Could you inject a cancer patient with the serum then freeze them until a cure was found or would it act as a cure itself? There were people questioning why SHIELD, the silent but ever present ghost in the government, hadn't offered the recipe for medical research. There were people out there taking it into their own hands to make the serum, not just rogue scientists or terrorist agencies but normal people who were desperate for a way to prolong their relative's life. 

"Layne Rees is a local dealer whose taken it into his own hands to supply the people the ingredients to make their own super soldier serum. Now normally I wouldn't give a shit what a rat like him is doing skulking around New York but he's somehow managed to get his hands on some dangerous materials that he's selling to the public". He flipped the page to see the picture of the dealer and his long lanky brown hair, sallow features and blank face as he stared at the policeman taking his photo.

"You want me to kill him?" It seemed like an extremely low rank job for SHIELD to be getting involved with. _Maybe they're just trying to get you out the way. _

"I also want to find out where he's getting his merchandise from. Maybe he's stealing it, or maybe he'd got a sponsor. That would not be good".

He closed the file, having memorised the address and any relevant information. He would probably forget it ten minutes later anyway. Then he felt cold metal wrap around his wrist with a snap and he almost growled at Romanoff. "You didn't think we'd let you out without a tracker did you?"

And so it was, 3 hours later having perused the mind of a passed out drug addict on an acid trip that he confirmed his suspicions. The man had been selling poison to innocent people, his mind and the fridge full of poorly preserved snake venom proved that. But he wasn't association with any kind of terrorist organisation, nor had he stolen radioactive material from a government facility. He was as clean as any dealer could possibly be and the shot to his head was as painless and efficient as possible. He'd finished his job, even if it was as pointless as possible.   
  
He supposed he should have deactivated the wrist band much earlier, the thought had certainly crossed his mind, but instead he had spent far too long avoiding the inevitable and eventually it brought him back inside Loki's 5 star hotel room where he found the sceptre placed on its plinth waiting for him. "Have you been playing with the sceptre?"

"I wouldn't call it playing. I was analysing its runic weave, its unlike anything I've ever seen before".

"Yes well you must've hit something because they got me out of the building very quickly. There's something happening that they don't want me to know about." He ran his hand over the metal of the sceptre and felt the familiar probing buzz of its magic. "You tripped a switch, sent out a signal. The tesseract responded."

He reached for the stone itself, wrapping his own magic around it and pulling. Magic burst through the air, suddenly visible to the naked eye in a tangle of yellow and gold. Unlike Loki's magic which always appeared in shimmers and waves this was like glowing tendrils floating through the air and wrapping itself around anything it could find. Within the mass of pale gold there was a single line of blue coming from an unknown source accompanied by a few faint weaker colours. Then, shining even brighter than the blue was a sickly green that was constantly shifting and turning, appearing in and out of existence. He guided to blue strand towards Loki and handed him the sceptre, wrapping the strand tightly around his wrist as it slowly began to latch itself onto the God's own magic. "Follow it", he whispered and the man offered him a grin before the world around him exploded into black and blue and he was through the wormhole towards his destination. 

There was nothing left behind to say that he'd been there, no scorched ground like the Bifrost or even a flutter of magic that remained in the air. Suddenly, the room felt oppressively cold and he took his seat on the bed so he could start his watch.


End file.
